Fall from Grace
by Stephanie MRV
Summary: Lucius is barely keeping himself together let alone his family. Take a glimpse into his world as he deals with his sons failure to complete the mission the Dark Lord gave him. ONE SHOT (not a one-shot anymore), for now, maybe. Trigger warning- mentions of non-con, torture and death. Added a second chapter as well of Lucius before, during and after the battle.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a little idea that came into my head one day. I decided to get it out before it disappeared, as they tend to do. I don't know if this has the potential to become more but I have been letting my imagination wander and the thought of Hermione Granger making an appearance gave me many ideas.**

* * *

He walked with confidence through the dungeon halls. Here he wasn't a disgrace to his lord. Here he wasn't a failure to his wife. Here he wasn't looked down upon or demeaned. Here he ruled. Here he was God. The whimpers came from the cells along the hall. Each causing him to straighten ever so slightly and filled him with power, superiority and control. Control was something he craved like a starving man now. He had lost all control since the Dark Lord returned. He stopped in front of a cell as he focused on the sight in front of him once more.

Over the years the cells occupants were filled with a varying degree of prisoners. Muggles, mudbloods and the occasional blood traitor. They were of all ages and of both sexes. He mostly kept women though. He could play with them for much longer. His favorite had once been a young girl whom resembled his wife in her youth. The muggle had been only slightly more attractive. She only lasted a year and eight months.

The current occupant held a young girl, almost a woman, with light brown eyes and light blonde hair. She had been beautiful once. Those days were behind her. She recoiled in fear and horror. She knew all too well by now that she could not fight back or even die. She was completely powerless to his whims. She had long ago begun to beg for death. She was no longer fun to play with.

On this particular day Lucius was feeling helpless. His son had failed his mission. Severus had stepped in and completed the task his son was to have carried out. His son was cursed within an inch of his life. His wife tended to their son in her rooms as she and the elves desperately tried to keep him among the living. His wife would not look upon him. This had been her breaking point. Nothing in this world mattered to her more than her son. And that is what Draco was, her son. To Lucius he would always just be his heir. He loved Draco, sure. But he had never been close to the boy. He had always managed to find some way of disappointing him. But to see his heir look away from him, even when doing so caused him more pain was too much.

He decided that he would take it all out on one of his toys. Since this one stopped being fun anymore he decided to make her an example. He dragged her out of her cell by her hair. She tried not to yell but he simply pulled harder. She screamed and he heard the others in their cells scramble as far away from the bars as they could. He threw her at the farthest wall in the center of the chamber. All cells could see what he would do to her. It was as much a torture for her as it was for them.

* * *

It was dawn before he was finally done desecrating the girl's body. The whimpers and sobs had stopped hours ago. None of them were asleep though. They knew better than to fall asleep in his presence. He had enjoyed the girl sexually first. Brutality was the only word that could have described what he did to her. After he had sated his most basic desires he began to magically torture her. He relished in the dark magic as he used every dark curse he knew. Some he had to counter quickly less she die too soon. He had enough potions in stock to replenish her filthy blood to prologue her death.

Once he finally noticed her mind had been broken and she was merely screaming from pain did he decide to finish her off. He began to carve her up into pieces. He made sure to cauterize the wounds as he went so she wouldn't die quickly. This was now a show for the rest of the prisoners.

He had disposed of her remains with a lazy flick of his wand. Her transfigured body went to an incinerator he kept for anything he needed to disposed of with fiendfyre.

* * *

He allowed the hot water to cascade down his marred back. The Dark Lord liked to leave him a permanent reminder of his punishments. His once beautiful body was scarred in all places. His face was left alone simply because it was what he presented to the world. When the Dark Lord ruled over Britain he did not think that would remain untouched.

He felt better at first after he took out his frustrations on the girl. Now though. Now he felt bereft. He felt hollow. His family was in shambles. His manor overrun by a monster he willingly followed and allowed into their home. He stopped these thoughts and shoved them to the back of his mind. He left the shower and wandlessly dried himself off. He looked at his body in a full length mirror.

He could wash as much as he wished but he could still see and feel the stains left behind. He would never be clean.  
He got dressed and left his rooms.

The shift in the family magic told him before his wife's wailing assaulted his ears. Draco had passed. He had held on for a day. Lucius simply walked over to the family tapestry and watched as his son's image become still and darken. His death day etched next to his date of birth. He watched impassively for a moment before he returned to his desk. He had work to do after all.

* * *

**Let me know what you all think. **

**This is what I felt Lucius did to cope with his life. He looked so haggard during the last book and movies. I think this is something he did and felt as the war raged on. I have some ideas to continue this but I feel like this is good by itself lest I continue it and ruin it. I am not sure.** **Either way enjoy this one shot.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. I know I said this would be a one-shot but I have a horrible case of writers block for my story 'Second Chance at Love' and while trying to get inspiration for it I somehow go inspiration for this one. Don't ask me how it just happened. So here is the next part of my original story. I hope it doesn't disappoint. I usually try to make them longer and add more details but it seems this was all my mind had to offer. Hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

He didn't know why he did it. He could still not truly explain it to himself. When they had been captured he knew who they were. It was obvious. Thankfully Potter was unrecognizable but the Weasley boy was not so that casted doubt on the other two. He knew who the Granger girl was of course. He had seen her and known of her for years. His sons rival in all academics was definitely someone he would check up on. Not to mention he vividly remembered her from the Department of Mysterious debacle.

He made sure the two boys were in the basement locked in before he sent a compulsion charm towards Pettigrew to set them free. Hopefully the weak willed bastard would get killed over it. For the girl all he could really do was send her small relief through a few wandless pain numbing and healing spells. He knew how to cast them perfectly now thanks to his lord. He distracted Bella as much as he could from the girl by arguing with her. Surprisingly his wife helped him as well. She had completely shut him out as soon as Draco died but they presented a united front to everyone else. She knew another death eater would claim her for themselves should she leave his side. She wasn't like her sisters, neither brave nor insane. He was sure she had turned to the other side. He understood why.

When his old elf had come through and managed to get them to safety he had been ecstatic. That lasted until his master came and punished them for letting them get away. Bellatrix was punished the worst but that did little to appease him. It was worth it though. He would not follow this bastard. That night as they lay on the bed healing he and Narcissa discussed ending Him. They both turned to the light side in this battle and would do it for Draco. It was the first time he could see light in his wife's eyes in months.

* * *

She was cornered by three opponents and knew it. She was outnumbered and outdone. She could not hold them off for long. Then suddenly, when she was sure she would die, he appeared. His blond hair was smeared with red on the ends. His body moved swiftly as he cast spell after spell against her opponents. One of them falling to the killing curse finally snapped her back to reality. She began to shield them both and deflect any spells coming their way. They stayed together drawing the attention of a lot of people from both sides. The light side was incredulous and unsure as to how to proceed. The dark side was murderous and made them a target instantly. That made up the others mind to intervene and protect them.

* * *

Once all the dust was settled and the light side had won no one knew what to do next. Thankfully Minerva McGonagall was still alive and doing what she did best. She began to yell out orders and people moved to do as she wished. Kingsley took over for the aurors and anyone from the Ministry and gave orders for the captives and runaways.

One person no one knew what to do with was Lucius Malfoy as he knelt by the body of his wife. Harry had told the order of how Narcissa had lied to Voldemort and pronounced him dead. She had paid for it with her life by shielding him when he miraculously came back to life. Hermione told them of how Lucius had protected her and dueled by her side as they fought. They saved many together. When she asked him why he did what he did he responded with "He took our world, so we took his." while he gazed into her eyes with a look so full of despair and determination it scared her. No one could fault him for that. They had heard how Draco had died for his failure.

For now they let him grieve his wife and guard her body. They were not ignorant of the looks he garnered. They made sure to have an order member near him for his safety.

* * *

He had spent a little over a month in the ministry holding cells alone. He was deemed a high risk prisoner. Well, high risk to other death eaters trying to kill him not him being dangerous. He had 'graciously allowed' the ministry to raid his manor for anything and anyone dangerous. He wasn't worried. All of his 'private' prisoners had been killed and disposed of after he and Narcissa made their plans. He moved all illegal items and artifacts to a different location. Anything destroyed could be replaced or bought new now. He wasn't stupid. He remembered the raids authorized by Arthur Weasley, those had resulted in many things being destroyed or stolen. Some had been family photographs. From then on all family mementos had been stored in the family vaults.

During his trial he had told them everything he and his wife had done. They had freed prisoners or when they couldn't save them they gave them a quick and painless death. There wasn't much they could do for the muggles. Lucius had freed a large number of prisoners from his home with the help of the French branch of the Malfoys. They made it look like the order did it and then his home was deemed no longer safe enough as the headquarters for the dark lord. So he moved his compound to the Lestrange home which was smaller than Malfoy manor. He also ensured to bring auror attention to any locations there was to be a raid or intentionally sabotage it. He sowed discord where he could and caused as much infighting as he could.

To say that the newly assembled Ministry was astonished at everything he and his wife had done behind enemy lines would be an understatement. Lucius was looked at differently after he told them that his son's death changed him and his wife. They could no longer follow that monster.

The testimonies from the Golden Duo was what changed public opinion to his side solidly. Hermione Grangers word was what sealed it. She told them about how he kept wandlessly sending pain numbing and healing spells her way as Bellatrix tortured her. Then about how he fought by her side and they kept themselves and others alive.

It took an entire day for the Ministry to deliberate on a punishment. Lucius would serve a three year house arrest sentence with his magic bound for those three years. He would be cared for by his elves and would have to be overseen by a parole officer who would drop by unexpectedly. He would be fined, but not heavily, for his crimes. He would then serve community service for five years in a location of his choosing. His wife would be honored posthumously.

Lucius didn't bemoan his sentence, out loud. He knew he got off lightly. Granted it could have been worse but for now he would simply bite his tongue and bear it.

* * *

(3 years later)

He was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had been waiting for this day for three long years. They even had Auror Potter there to watch as they unbound his magic after completing his sentence. That was only done after they conveniently re-interrogated him. Luckily he had a barrister for these occasions that made sure to be there. He would file a complaint about it. He wasn't worried though. He had kept his actions all legal after the battle. He knew something like this was bound to come up so he removed the temptation before it could even become one.

The truth however was that after he lost everything except his life he found himself at a loss. He had no heir, no wife, no family and no dignity. His name had been dragged through the dirt and only the Malfoy branch seemed to be doing all right. He knew the trauma the Dark Lord had inflicted on him had been extensive but he had never dreamt it would have caused him to simply give up.

* * *

Lucius spent the next year volunteering his time for the next year simply existing. He had found no need to do anything he used to do. Not even to get some new toys. He knew he was depressed since his elves were at their happiest. They weren't cursed or beaten. They had no prisoners to look after or dispose of. The best part was that there was no dark lord or any death eaters to serve either.

The house was spotless and excellently maintained since his magic was bound. The entire house was overhauled. All of the rooms were redone. The room that had housed the Dark Lord was stripped bare and the Drawing Room and Meeting Hall were stripped down to the floor boards. The floorboards and tile had been stained permanently with the blood of the innocents.

He couldn't muster the interest to even have sex. He had the desire at first but it had waned eventually. He felt emasculated above everything now. He knew he had to produce a new heir so his estate didn't go to his French cousins. He couldn't stomach the idea. The only problem was that he had no desire to even muster the desire for anyone. He just couldn't see himself doing anything now. He only maintained his family seat in the ministry now.

* * *

It was during that first year that he found the inspiration to live again. He was under glamour in Diagon Alley as he dined incognito by himself in an upscale restaurant. He saw her with the Weasley boy as they walked in and were escorted to their table. All he could focus on was her though. She looked beautiful. She had definitely gained weight and now looked like a woman. Her face however conveyed her displeasure. He didn't know why but it moved something within him. The Weasley boy was preening at all of the attention and flirting with the waitress who had no problem with fawning over him. Granger looked upset and one glare from her had the waitress running.

The boy berated her for acting like a cold harpy and continue to demean her and flirt. He could not believe what he was seeing. Where had the girl he fought alongside gone? Where was she because the doormat in front of him could not be her! He lost something that day and on reflection he knew it was his respect for her. She just took his abuse and let it roll of her back. He knew instantly the boy had cheated on her or at least planned to. She had let him get away with too much for him not to push the line more each time. He was done. He pushed away his food and sat there as the disgusting display unraveled more and more. When Granger left the table to use the facilities he sat there for another moment to see what the idiot boy would do and sure enough he was rewarded. As soon as granger cleared the area the waitress came over and handed Weasley a piece of parchment while smiling at him. Weasley expertly pocketed the note as if he had done so dozens of times. (He bet he had)

Seeing enough he got up and went after the girl. He cast a few wards and spells around the small corner where the men's and ladies toilets were located for privacy. As soon as she exited he quickly disarmed her and pinned her to the wall. The fact that he could catch her unawares made him sneer. She widened her eyes and was about to start screaming when he told her to hush.

She did so begrudgingly and after he wandlessly removed his glamour he told her he would not harm her and would return her wand so long as she heard him. Once she did he righted his clothes and glared at her with all the fury he had. After years of barely feeling anything he was surprised he was as mad as he was.

"What the fuck is wrong with you girl?!" He yelled at her. Thank god for silencing charms.

"Excuse you. You pulled me to this corner." She began to yell as she worked herself into a strop.

"Silence." He roared.

She shut up in fright but he saw her beginning to get indignant.

"How could you be so stupid? What happened to the girl I fought besides in the battle. Where is the woman who helped the sick and injured. Where is the woman who stood at my trial to defend me? Where is the woman who returned to a war torn castle to finish what she started? Where is the woman who spoke about her torture to help others who went through similar things? Where is the woman who fights for the rights of creatures? Where is she!?" He yelled at her.

She was silenced by his anger and vehemence at being answered. She was hurt and confused, her eyes giving her away. A weakness she should have addressed long ago.

"I haven't seen you for years and we were never close before so let me give you an outsiders perspective." He said as he silenced her with a look.  
"Today I was dining and enjoying my meal in happy anonymity when in walks in the second golden couple after the Potters. What do I see but the continued degradation of one of them by the other! You let that boy walk all over you. You let him demean you. You let him degrade you. You let him flirt in front of you. You let him do as he wished. You are a doormat. NO! That wasn't a question it was a fact. As soon as you left the waitress went to your table and gave him a piece of parchment and he pocketed it like he had done so many times before. You are a fool. Anyone can see what he was doing to you. But no, the smartest which of her generation allowed the sidekick of the wizarding world to make her a fool. You know what he is doing. Deep down you know it. As Severus loved to call you a know-it-all you know it is a fact. But for some fucking reason you are still with him. You live with him. You wear his ring. (He raised her left hand for emphasize) You are so stupid that no words could possibly describe it in detail. One day when you have a daughter with that fool. Look at her in the eye and tell her how much you love her father. Tell her how you love him as he yells at you. Tell her you love him as he lies to you. Tell her you love him as he cheats on you. Tell her you love him as he has children with his whores. Raise that child thinking that it is okay for a woman to be treated like that by her father. Destroy the role model image you have had thrust upon you to thousands of little girls. Hold your head up high with bruises and cuts from your husband's latest punishment."

She was in tears as he laid into her. He wasn't merciful. He wanted to cut her to the bone. How dare she let that little fool play her. How dare she allow herself to be laid low by that moron? He still felt it wasn't enough. He pulled a napkin from his robe pocket and transfigured it into a vial. Quickly after casting the necessary charms he pulled his memory of the entire dinner into the vile. She needed to see it herself after all.

"If my words are still not enough then look for yourself. I suggest you take a lesson from the Slytherins and find out the truth in its entirety from him. Dose him with truth serum and interrogate his ass to hell and back. Find out all he has done and how far back it goes. Ask him his real opinion of you. Ask him to bare his soul to you and then Obliviate his ass and have the truth come out in a way that paints you as the victim. You have shown to be a doormat already. Punish him for doing what he has done. Earn your self-respect back. Think of the little girls who look to you. Letting him get away with it only helps him and loses you a part of your dignity each time. Leave afterwards and work on yourself. Find out why you allowed this to go on for so long. You will never be able to heal while you are surrounded by his family and his friends. Make no mistake, they are his friends. Potter will take his new families side through anything. He has proven in the past how between the two of you he will always chose the boy. You have no other friends since you cannot make them. Yes I know that. It's not hard to figure out with your personality which is probably why you cling to such an abusive man." He said and then thrust the vile into her hands which were shaking. She hadn't stopped crying.

"Find out the truth. Reveal him as the bastard. Leave and heal. Return when you finally found your dignity and self respect. Look low for it. I'm sure it got tracked along the floor from in its place beneath Weasleys feet." He said as he took his leave. He would not stay and coddle the girl. The last thing he did was take down the wards that seemed to jolt the girl back to awareness and he heard her rush back into the bathroom. He was sure she would take another few minutes.

He had quickly put his glamour back on and simply paid for his meal and left. The last thing he saw was the Weasley boy gorging himself sick on his meal not even having the decency to wait.

* * *

It took three months for him to hear word of her doing anything about it. After a month he had begun to feel disappointment. After two he had simply stopped believing the girl he had known was there at all. He had proud when he opened his paper one morning and find the entire first 7 pages dedicated to the cheating scandal of the century. Most of it was pictures but it didn't matter. He had no doubt there would be more coming.

The headline had made him laugh for the first time since the war started. He had laughed so loud and long that it actually worried his elves.  
"**Cheating Weasel caught with his Pants Down**"

There was a photograph of Weasley scrambling to pull his pants up as an unidentified woman hides her face from the camera and apparated away. The small article under that photo explains how there were rumors of the golden couple being unhappy with reports of Hermione Granger being seen crying more and more at work. The intrepid reporter decided to follow Weasley for a month and as she is 'forever grateful' to the sacrifices Hermione Granger went through she sent all of her findings to her before she had them published.

There was a small quote from the heroine herself.

"I would like to thank Ms. Clearwater for letting me see her findings before publishing them. I would also like to thank all the people in advance who support me at this time. I have decided to leave my job at the ministry because of this. I cannot work in the same building as HIM nor can I live in a place where I know his family and friends will encourage me to take the Weasel back. I have suspected his infidelity for a while now but my heart never allowed me to believe it. Our relationship was built on a friendship that was tested through magical creatures, curses and death. I never thought someone whom I fought besides would do this to me. This betrayal has cut me to my soul and I will never forgive this. I want nothing to do with Britain for now since it seems there are many women whom have no problem with propitiating infidelity. I will take this time to heal from Ronald Weasleys betrayal. I ask my family and friends to simply give me space. Hopefully one day I will find someone who will truly love me and treat me the way all women deserve to be treated."

The paper then went on to describe in detail how Ronald Weasley was followed for over a month and in that time was caught cheating with 6 women. Yes, and that was only the ones he was caught with. There was a long list of speculation and rumors of past lovers who could have also been a part of Weasels ring of infidelity. The paper went on to drag the Weasley boy through the mud and show photograph after photograph of proof. Then it went on to incite ALL women that maybe THEIR partner was cheating as well. After all if Ronald Weasley could do this to someone like Hermione Granger how were they safe? Any male caught in the photograph as well as the establishment was smeared as well. Stating that after everything Hermione Granger has done for the community for them to not speak up was shameful.

Lucius was in hysterics and it took him nearly two hours to read the entire spread. He had to stop so much from laughing. When he finally managed to regain his composure he was grinning from ear to ear. He was sure women everywhere would be up in arms. He had no idea just how right he was.

* * *

Ronald Weasley was let go from the Cannons for 'shaming' the team with his inappropriate conduct. They were the lowest ranking team in the league and even they wouldn't allow the bad press to be associated with them. It was bad enough some of the women were revealed as quidditch groupies. All of their wives and girlfriends of the team members now showed up to even their practices. No one was going to forgive Weasley.

George Weasley released a new line of products aptly named 'Worthless Weasel'. There were dart boards with a Weasels face on them that resembled his brother. Toilet paper with the same said Weasel. A toilet plunger, toilet seat, a doormat, a cat toilet, a scratching post and even little weasel chew toys for all types of pets. All of them had the custom made image of the weasel that coincidently looked like Ronald Weasley. It wasn't his actual picture so no defamation suit could be aptly filed.

The Weasley family was mostly behind Hermione. All of the boys and Ginny supported Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was still adamant that they could work through it and still get married and have a family. Mr. Weasley wasn't so sure since Hermione had sent him a melted piece of cheap gold with a small diamond embedded in it and told to please keep it as she had no use for it. He was disappointed in his son and knew they would never work through it. He kept his peace since the one time he voiced his opinion Molly wailed, screamed and ranted over the subject.

Harry was torn. He couldn't see them getting back together but he also couldn't forgive Ron for what he did. He still kept sleeping around except now he went to true whores in knockturn alley. Well that was before he was followed there and even more pictures came out. He wanted his friends back to how they were. He wanted the big happy family he used to have before it went to shit. Harry failed to realize there was no such thing as an all happy family. All families have problems. It's trying to pretend they don't that worsen problems. Coming from an abusive home Harry believed in the PERFECT family in which nothing ever went wrong. Where everyone loved and cared for each other. He had a warped and unrealistic view which caused him to always choose Ron in any fight over Hermione as he was his brother. His first friend and the reason he had a new family in the first place. Anything else would be sacrificed for that.

* * *

Hermione meanwhile spent the next three years away from British soil. It was almost eight months before she wrote to anyone from back home. All of her mail had been gathered and she read through it all at her own pace. She was happy to see she had a lot of support but was disheartened when Harry's letters came. She knew he would be like that. It crushed her. She sent him one letter telling him that she was done being second best to Ronald Weasley anymore and broke their friendship. She cried for days afterwards but it had to be done. Her therapist had showed her how toxic her relationship with the boys had been. She would always be taken for granted until she finally put a stop to it. If he maintained the same attitude and didn't change then she was better off without him.

She forced herself to read all of Ronald's letters which were what she expected. In one he was sorry and begged forgiveness, in the other he called her a whore for ruining his life and blaming her for his cheating since she was a frigid bitch. All the letters were saved and she went over them with her therapist to help her work through them.

It was another year and a few months before she allowed the world to see her once more. She attended a benefit for the conservation of magical preserves in Brazil. She was photographed extensively where she was seen having a wonderful time dancing and mingling with the guests. No one except a few catty women brought up the scandal but Hermione expertly evaded the questions. She made sure Ms. Clearwater had gotten wind of her first public appearance since the whole incident and let her know in advance so she could inform the British community. It was a way to thank her for all she had done for her in the past.

Hermione made more appearances throughout the magical world from then on and it had begun as a game of sorts for reporters to try and find her. When they figured she only appeared in events concerning Magical preservation, Creature right, Magical preservation or children's benefits they began to show up to those in droves. It was all intentional on Hermione's part to heighten awareness.

Finally Hermione returned to British soil after being gone for about four years. During that time she had still not patched things up with either Ronald or Harry. She was on writing terms with Ginny (somewhat), Bill (his family), Charlie, Percy, and George. She did not write to many others except to a few old professors and friends. She mostly stayed out living her life and finally finding herself. She found a job she loved and she adored traveling. Discovering new knowledge and practices around the worlds was her calling. She loved it. It was all thanks to a man who had spilled so much vitriol at her that it finally made her see sense.

Hermione made her grand reappearance at a benefit being held at Hogwarts raising money for the school. When she arrived she was swarmed by people but a handy charm (of her own invention) kept everyone away from her on a five foot radius. She had developed it as a safety feature and to avoid being swarmed. A little electric shock was delivered if people became too persistent after 20 seconds also helped. There was also the added benefit of having two guards at her side to keep the people in check.

Hermione held her head up high and spoke to her professors and a few friends. She was civil to 'Mr. Potter' when he and Ginny approached her and rebuffed any and all attempts to get her to have a private word. She made sure only speak to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for a minute before she ended the conversation. Mrs. Weasley was still hoping she and Ronald patch things up. She didn't elaborate to which extent but she wasn't having it. She made it a point to say she wasn't looking to settle (not settle down) and walked away. A fuming Mrs. Weasley had to be led away. She had a wonderful time with George and danced with him as well as Bill, Charlie and even Percy.

Thankfully Ronald Weasley was thankfully not in attendance. He was not welcome at Hogwarts and many people made sure to tell him so.

The main person she had wanted to see however didn't make his presence known until the end of the evening.  
Lucius Malfoy walked up to her and asked her to dance. She was polite and agreed with a smile. Many were uneasy but simply let it go. He had fought by her side after all and over the years he had worked hard to remake his image and even dated briefly.

"I am glad to see you again. The Real you." Lucius said. He was glad. She looked like the mighty lioness she had been before but now so much more.

"Thank you." She said. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome Ms. Granger." He said as he expertly moved them around.

They simply danced for a while before Lucius broke the silence. Hermione had learned restraint after all.

"Are you happy?" He asked.

"Incredibly so." She replied.

"I am glad." He said as he spun her around.

When their number ended Lucius bowed over her hand and 'kissed' her knuckles. He was about to let go and walk away when she gripped his hand. He looked up into her eyes and found her eyes full of life and mischief.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me?" She asked.

He was dumbfounded. She was asking him for dinner. No woman had ever done so.  
"Dinner?" He asked.

Her eyes practically twinkled. Her hand still in his now garnering more attention from the crowd.

"Yes, dinner." She replied.

"It would be my pleasure." He said. He would take a chance. The look in her eyes sparking something within him back to life. If nothing else he would have a lovely dinner companion for the night.

"Yes, it will." She replied and walked away leaving an aroused and confused Lucius Malfoy behind.

He quickly took his leave from the dance floor and back to his table.  
He had never looked forward to dinner so much in his life.


End file.
